In the Style section of today’s New York Times, an article on Los Angeles interior designer Michael Smith mentioned that he is currently renting a home in Los Angeles with a tragic past. What happened there?
The answer is after the JUMP.
- It was the home in which Frank Sinatra, Jr. was living when he was kidnapped.
- It was the Brentwood residence where Marilyn Monroe suffered her fatal overdose.
- It was the Benedict Canyon home where George Reeves (the actor who played 1950s-era Superman) was shot dead.
- It was the home in which David’s Niven’s wife suffered a fatal accident during a children’s parlor game.
The answer is after the JUMP.
David Niven, a discovery of Samuel Goldwyn, made a name for himself in the 1930s-era Hollywood. He left California and returned to Great Britain during World War II to enlist in the army. At the height of blitzkrieg, he fell in love and married the lovely Primmie, with whom he had two sons. After the war, they moved to Los Angeles so David could relaunch his film career.
 David and Primmie Niven, 1942 |  Recent Widower David Niven and Sons |
He made the journey first and found them their house of their dreams, next door to his friend Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. David eagerly awaited Primmie’s arrival and the beginning of what he anticipated would be their long and happy life together in California. It was sadly not to be. Upon Primmie’s arrival, Tyrone Power gave a small party in her honor and invited the couple’s closest friends. Niven beamed. Glancing at “Primmie’s radiant face,” he “wondered how it was possible for one man to have so much.”
The party began as an outdoor barbecue, but at nightfall, it moved indoors. Cesar Romero suggested they play Sardines, “an old children’s game,” which was a form of hide-and-seek played in the dark. David hid under a bed. Primmie opted for what she thought was a coat closet. It was actually a cellar door, and upon entering, she tumbled down a flight of stairs.
At first it seemed as if she would be okay. A doctor arrived, and they moved her to the hospital. Despite assurances that she simply suffered a bad concussion and would be fine, Primmie took a turn for the worst. She died the next day, leaving a Niven a heartbroken widower with two young sons to raise.
The party began as an outdoor barbecue, but at nightfall, it moved indoors. Cesar Romero suggested they play Sardines, “an old children’s game,” which was a form of hide-and-seek played in the dark. David hid under a bed. Primmie opted for what she thought was a coat closet. It was actually a cellar door, and upon entering, she tumbled down a flight of stairs.
At first it seemed as if she would be okay. A doctor arrived, and they moved her to the hospital. Despite assurances that she simply suffered a bad concussion and would be fine, Primmie took a turn for the worst. She died the next day, leaving a Niven a heartbroken widower with two young sons to raise.
Note: Frank Sinatra, Jr. was actually in room 417 at Harrah's in Lake Tahoe when he was kidnapped.
Image Credit: The Moon's A Balloon, An Autobiography
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